Page 62 of Resurgence of the Pack

Chapter 31

Timmy fixed his beady eyes on me; not for a moment did he doubt his seer. ‘Leave us,’ he said to Fred. Fred didn’t look happy but he pulled back a few meters.

‘The future,’ Timmy breathed. ‘What can you tell me about it?’

‘Not a damn thing,’ I said firmly. ‘Unless you want us to fuck it all up.’

He looked at me reproachfully, ‘Such language from a lady’s mouth.’

‘What makes you think I’m a lady?’ I shot back. I wasn’t a lady, I was a goddamned Queen, and he could take his priggish attitude and shove it where the sun didn’t shine. He could hardly throw stones since he was running an illegal gang and extorting protection money from people.

‘She’s a Queen,’ Candice asserted eagerly. ‘Queen Lucy of all the werewolves.’

‘Is she now?’ Timmy looked fascinated; he was re-assessing me in the light of this new information. ‘And what precisely would make a Queen step back in time?’

I contemplated lying but Esme’s honesty-first policy was contagious. ‘A theft,’ I admitted. ‘Of something I need to get back.’

‘Isn’t that interesting?’ Timmy pursed his lips. ‘I have a problem not dissimilar to yours, so it seems like fate is trying to bring us together, my wolfy ruler. Someone took something of mine and I need to know who snatched it from me. The only problem,’ he continued, ‘is the only witness to the theft was my horse.’

I blinked. Ok-ay. ‘Seek out a piper,’ I offered weakly, without admitting that I was one.

He snorted. ‘Obviously I’ve already tried that. They are, by their nature, elusive pricks. The pipers hide their talents –denytheir talents. The last one I thought I’d found ended up not being a piper at all, just a useless brethren.’

I bristled inwardly at the description. Greg Manners had been far from useless, even when he’d ‘just’ been brethren.

Timmy grimaced as he continued. ‘Shame he had to die before I accepted his word that he really couldn’t help me.’

Yikes.

‘Candice thinksyoucan help me.’ His eyes were hard and unyielding. ‘You’ll come with me to my lands tomorrow.’He wasn’t issuing an invitation. To emphasise the unspoken threat, he lightly caressed the handle of the mace.

‘As I said,’ I picked my words carefully, ‘something of mine has been stolen. My return to this time was for a specific reason and my mission is time sensitive. I cannot help you tomorrow – but I can come back later.’

Timmy snorted. ‘You will not return, of that I am sure. No, Queen Lucy, you must come with me tomorrow.’

I sighed. This was going to get messy. When I glanced at Greg he read my intentions and his stance shifted to that of a fighter. I turned back to meet Timmy’s eyes. ‘No,’ I said firmly.

‘No?’ The ogre seemed genuinely taken aback that someone could dare refuse him. He give a whistle and several men stepped out of the crowd to surround us.

I recognised their liquid movements: werewolves. One of them was the biggest man I’d seen, especially in these times when poor nutrition stunted growth; he looked like he could snap us in half like a twig. Plus the theft of the orb hadn’t happened yet and these wolves around me had full access to their air magic. Worse still, the witches’ cursehadhappened and I didn’t have the Great Pack to come to my aid, to convince them to roll over and show me their bellies.

More ogres stepped out behind the werewolves and these ones weren’t being shy about their maces: they were brandishing them aggressively. This was about to get even messier than I’d anticipated.

I held up a hand before the situation deteriorated further. ‘I can’t come with you to your estate,’ I said firmly, ‘but maybe I can help in another way. Let’s you and I talk privately.’

I had an idea; although it felt a little crazy, it was better than being forced to miss the theft I’d travelled back in time to prevent.

Timmy hesitated for a beat but Candice gave him an encouraging nod; she had seen what would happen at the meeting and she was weirdly eager for it to take place.

‘Stay here,’ I ordered Greg and Torrance, as if they had any choice.

I followed Timmy out of the vast space into a small room just off the ballroom. Even though he closed the door, we could still hear the music and the laughter. The lack of soundproofing was reassuring: if the ogre had intended to kill me, he would have taken me further away where his guests wouldn’t hear my dying screams.

Unless he doesn’t care if they hear,Esme said pointedly.

Do you think we’re about to die?I asked her, exasperated.

Of course not!she snorted.

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